You Win
by stuckbeingrachel
Summary: HOA Oneshot Day 2013: A bet between two kids lead to something they never expected. A bit AU. R&R!


**Okay, I like this one way more than _The Dare_...**

**Enjoy!**

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A party of family friends chattered below the balcony. Mara Jaffray, the fourteen year old, stood at the railing. Her curly black hair swayed in the breeze and her brown eyes flitted over the groups of people.

She had snuck away from the party; the noise giving her a headache. She preferred to be alone; she could think much clearer. But another reason she had left the party was because of Jerome Clarke, the annoying, blonde jerk that loved to pick on her. Why he picked her to annoy, out of all the people at the party, she didn't know.

She looked up at the stars floating high above her head in the deep, dark, night sky. But her happy mood was suddenly shattered when she felt a presence behind her. And not just anyone's presence.

"Hey, Jaffray, what are you doing up here all by yourself, hmm?" he chuckled, leaning against the door way that lead into the main hallway of the second floor of her home.

"Getting away from everyone; particularly you." She replied snippily.

"Aw, why," he cooed, warm breath blowing into her hair. "Was it something I said?"

Mara said nothing.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's talk. What is little Miss Mara thinking about?" he wondered.

"When I get married to my True Love…" she said sarcastically.

Despite her sarcastic tone, Jerome carried on with the conversation. He laughed. "Yeah, marrying your true love; that wouldn't happen."

Mara's head whipped around so she could look at him. "What are you talking about? Of course it would. Everyone has a true love."

"You've been reading too many fairytales, Angel. True love doesn't exist, and you definitely won't marry yours."

Mara frowned. "Okay, even if you don't marry your true love, your true love is your first kiss. Everyone has that perfect person; their true love; their soul mate; the person that their heart belongs to, even if they've never met. A true love is someone that'd give anything just to make the other person happy; who'd die for the other person; who can't live without the other person. I will marry my true love; who will also be my first kiss."

Jerome grinned. "Wanna bet?"

"Absolutely; I bet that between the age of eighteen and twenty-one, I'll be engaged to my first kiss; my true love."

"Alright, what's on the table?"

"If I win, you have to give me all your Batman toys—"

"Collectibles," the blonde corrected her. "And if I win, you have to give me your entire collection of Sherlock Holmes books."

Mara swallowed. What was she doing? She knew that Jerome never lost a bet; he always knew what he was talking about, or he always had confidence that he'd win. She might very well lose if he's right that true love doesn't exist. But she had seen it in her parents. Her parents had true love. Jerome's parents were divorced; there's no wonder why he didn't believe in it; his parents hadn't even lasted.

"Deal," she said confidently, shaking his outstretched hand; sealing the deal.

She suddenly felt herself being pulled toward him, his hand keeping a firm grip on hers. Her chest pressed against his and his thin lips crashed into her full ones. His free hand cupped the back of her neck, and then his long fingers threaded into her hair.

A moment that felt like forever passed and the kiss ended. Jerome pulled back and stared into her eyes. She stared up into the icy blue orbs, shell-shocked.

"Let's see how this works out for you." He whispered huskily.

And then he was gone.

Mara gasped when the events that took place mere seconds ago had hit her. Her first kiss had been Jerome Clarke. She touched her lips with the tips of her fingers and leaned back on the railing. She couldn't stop the small grin that slipped onto her face at the feeling of her tingling lips.

Jerome couldn't face her after what had happened. He wanted to win; he wanted to prove to her that true love doesn't exist. But he hadn't expected the kiss to…feel good. It had been his first kiss too, but he could care less who his first kiss was.

He slumped against the wall behind him.

He liked that Mara Jaffray was his first kiss.

He reached into his pocket and scribbled onto a scrap piece of paper with a purple pen he'd stolen from Mara earlier that night.

_The bet with Mara Jaffray….True Love by 21…Don't. Give. In. _

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_**7 Years Later**_

"Guess whose birthday it is tomorrow…" Jerome sang with a grin playing on his lips. He poked Mara's side and she giggled, but continued to type away on her laptop.

"Don't tickle me; I'm working."

"But…your birthday—"

"Is tomorrow; I'm going to work today."

"Alright…" he sighed and sat a small purple gift bag, stuffed with white tissue paper on her laptop's keyboard. "But open this, please?"

Mara tilted her head and smiled slightly. She took out the card first and pulled a scrap of paper out of the envelope instead of a card.

"The bet with Mara Jaffray…True Love by 21…Don't. Give. In?" she looked up at him with questioning eyes, but he just shrugged, motioning to the bag.

She pulled out a small, blue, velvet box and flipped it open. Inside sat the most perfect diamond ring she'd ever seen in her life.

She switched her eyes from the ring back to her boyfriend.

"You win." He choked out. "I'd give anything to make you happy. I'd die for you. I can't live without you. You were my first kiss, and I was yours; True Love. You can have all of my Batman toys; I love you with everything that I have." He said to her, falling to his knees as she came to stand in front of him.

"You can keep the Batman collectibles." She let out a breathy laugh with the words, and twisted his blonde hair in between her fingers.

"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes…yes, yes, yes, yes; a million times yes!"

He laughed, lifting her off the white tiled floor and spinning around before setting her down, on the kitchen counter. She cupped his pale cheeks, staring into his blue eyes; the blue eyes she could never forget; the blue eyes that she had fallen in love with; the blue eyes that she could never look away from.

"You're my True Love?" she spoke, hoping for reassurance.

"I'm your True Love." He promised, wrapping her up in his warm embrace and pushing his lips down upon hers.

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**I might upload one more oneshot (no promises), and if you, and I'm lucky, you'll get another. :)**

**Review?**

_**Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. -Proverbs 15:22**_

**-Rachel**


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